David Ornstein: Ex Pep Assistant On City’s Succession List

Manchester City succession planning enters open conversation

Speculation around Pep Guardiola’s future rarely arrives quietly, yet the latest reporting has landed with a sense of inevitability rather than alarm. Credit to David Ornstein of The Athletic for outlining how Manchester City are preparing for a possible transition, with Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca “high among the candidates Manchester City are considering in case Pep Guardiola exits the Etihad Stadium next summer”.

The detail that resonates most strongly is not urgency but preparedness. Guardiola remains under contract until June 2027, after signing a new deal in November 2024, yet “there is a growing anticipation of this being Guardiola’s last season at City”. That phrasing matters. It frames City as a club thinking in cycles rather than reacting to crisis, a mindset Guardiola himself has embedded over nearly a decade.

His own words reinforce that ambiguity. “After my contract with City, I’m going to stop,” Guardiola said in May. “I am sure. I don’t know if I’m going to retire, but I’m going to take a break.” It is neither a farewell nor a denial, simply an acknowledgement that even the most relentless minds need pause.

Photo IMAGO

Enzo Maresca and familiar Guardiola DNA

Maresca’s prominence on City’s shortlist feels logical rather than romantic. He is known at the Etihad, having worked at youth and senior levels, including as first team assistant during the 2021-22 season. Ornstein notes that Maresca “retains admirers in the hierarchy”, a line that hints at continuity of ideas rather than blind loyalty.

His managerial trajectory supports that view. Promotion with Leicester City, followed by a swift move to Chelsea, where he finished fourth, won the Conference League and lifted the expanded Club World Cup, speaks to a coach comfortable with pressure and expectation. At 45, he represents a bridge between Guardiola’s positional orthodoxy and a newer generation shaped by it.

Chelsea context and managerial uncertainty

There is tension, however, in Maresca’s present. His Chelsea contract runs until 2029, yet recent comments revealed strain. Describing a match build up as “the worst 48 hours since I joined the club, because many people didn’t support us” introduced noise where calm had existed. He later reiterated his bond with supporters, but elite clubs listen closely when managers hint at fracture.

City will note that Maresca has also aligned himself with Jorge Mendes, “designed to support his journey in management”. That alone does not signal exit, but it does suggest ambition.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

From a Manchester City supporter’s perspective, this report feels reassuring rather than unsettling. Succession planning has long been a club strength, from the clubs long term vision to Guardiola’s own evolution season by season. The idea that Enzo Maresca is being considered fits that narrative. He understands the City ecosystem, the training ground rhythms, the tactical language. That matters.

There is also comfort in Guardiola’s tone. When he said, “It’s completely unfinished business. That’s why I am here,” it echoed the hunger City fans recognise. This is not a manager drifting towards the exit, but one aware that endings must be chosen, not forced.

Maresca’s Chelsea success will be watched closely. A City fan would see his fourth place league finish and trophy haul as evidence of readiness, but also recognise that Chelsea’s volatility is a different challenge to City’s precision. The gap in the table, City six points clear in second, underlines that difference.

If Guardiola does leave, the hope among supporters is not for a replica, but for a custodian. Someone who protects the principles while allowing evolution. On this evidence, Maresca feels like a credible heir, not because he is Pep-lite, but because he understands why the system works. That may be the most City thing of all.